Combined car brake and coupler



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E. B. M BATYARD. l COMBINED GAR BRAKE AND GOUPLBR.

PatentedIeb.v 12, 1884.

(No Model.)

A No. 293,264.5

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(No Medel.)

E.' B1 MEATYARD. COMBINED GAR BRAKE AND GOUPLBR.

Patented Feb. 12,1884.

No. 293,204.v

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fBByMBATYA-RD. .COMBINED GAR BRAKE AND ,ooUPLERf Patentedreb.12,- 1884.

No.l 293,264.

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(Nq Model.)

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" l No.- 293,264+" 'l fd Peb. 12, 1884.'

Patente EDWARD B. MEATYARD, onLAKn ennnvh, WIsooNsIn.

' N'IrnD STATES vPATENT FFICIE. f'

COMBINED CAR BRAKE AND COUPLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 293,264, dated February 12, 1884. i Application filed May 7, 1853. (No model.) v

To a/ZZ whom it 17mg/ concern.-

Be it known that. I, EDWARD B. MEAT- YARD, a citizen of the United States, residing y coupler and brake mechanism. side elevation of the same.

at Lake Geneva, in the county of Walworth, in the State of 'Visconsin, have invented certain newaiid useful Improvements in Gom bined Brakes and Couplers for RailwayGars, which are fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-f l Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved Fig. 2 is a Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on theline x x in Fig. 1, the in ner end of the truck being broken away. Fig.

4 is a detailed section on the line y Q/ in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is `a detailed and enlarged` front elevation of the coupler. Fig. 6 is a cross-section. Fig. 7 is a detailed and enlarged side elevation'of a brake-shoe and brake-hanger. Fig. 8 is a section on the line o o in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a section on the line w w in Fig. 8. Fig.

10 is an enlarged plan view of the couplinglink. Fig. 11 is a section on the line 1 1 in Fig. 10. Fig. '12is a section on theline2 2 in Fig. 11. Fig. 13 is asection on the lin-e 8 3 in Fig. 11. I

The same letters denote to the same parts in all the figures. .Y

My invention relates to the brake mechanism of a' railway-car and to a coupler automatically operating it. The object of it is to promote simplicity and strength in the construction and facility, certainty and efficacy in the operation of these elements.

To this end it consists inthe several device and combinations of devices `which will be strains must be taken on the ends of the drafttimbers before the traction-springs or their plates are overtaXed.

to oscillate in it.

is anchor-shaped, but without fiukes.

In the drawings, A denotes the longitudinal beams, and A the joists of the car-floor. The door is bordered with channel-bars A2. B denotes the side beams, and B the cross-beams,

of the truck; C, the wheels, G the axle-boxes, and U2 the axles. I have elsewhere fully described and claimed all of these so far as they present-any peculiarities, and none of them form any part of the present inventioinwhich 6o I will now proceed to', describe. y i

I form the draw-bar and buffer in a single casting, D, which is arranged at the end of the car between the longitudinal oonbeams. Its

outer parts are tubular forthe purpose of eontaining the coupler. Just at the outer end it is considerably thickened at the top .and bot! tom, `the former in consequence of rising considerably abovethe rest of the casting, while at the sides it grows thinner, so as to present 7o but its upper surface is flat, or nearly so, so as 7 5 to afford a level seat for'the link, which, however, as has already. been stated, has. room to play upward and downward on occasion. The upper lip, d', is convex on its lower surface. A

, longitudinal slot, d, in the upper wall of the tubular part of the draw-bar allows the coupler F to play up and down in it. The coupler The upper end of its shank is vertically pivoted on a pin or bolt, F', which is set in the sides 8 5 of the tubular part of the draw-bar, near its inner end, and below the level of a horizontal plane equallydividingthe link. The upper arm, f, projects upward through the slot d, so

as to afford a convenient handle for lifting the '9o coupler, for the purpose of attaching or detaohing the link. The arms are made of such weight that unless the coupler is thus lifted the lower one, f', will always rest on the bot'- tom of the tube. worn, the coupler can be readily detached and r the lower side turned uppermost. V

The link E, whose length is three or four times its breadth, is of generally elliptical ontline, but curving `much more rapidly atv the 10o ends than on the sides. Its thickness at the ends is about three times as great as in the When this arm becomes pair of bars.

sides, in order to meet the increased wear and I Cushions H, preferably of india-rubber or strain which comes upon it there, so that its interior outline varies little from a rectangle, as shown inFig. 10 of thedrawings. Its crosssection at each end, as shown in Fig. 11, is

substantially an oval with the larger end,

which is inward, cutoff by an inwardly salient curve of slow variation, corresponding to the curvature of the arms ofthe coupler F. I thus secure adaptation to the coupler and at the same time sufficient thickness to withstand end thrusts and strains. Elsewhere the link is elliptical in cross-section, the longer diameter being at right angles to the length of the link, as shown in Fig. 13. This conformation combines sufficient thickness with narrowness, and consequent room for lateral play, without undue widening of the seat in the buffer. It also meets the principal strain, which in this part of the link is generally vertical, whereas at the ends it is longitudinal and horizontal. The link is also subject to torsional audlaterally complessive strains, and to meet these I provide a bridge, e, (shown in Figs. 10 and 12,) to brace it from side to side in the middle. I form the entire link in a single casting, preferably of soft steel and under pressure. The coupler is also preferably of steel cast under pressure. f

Behind the point where the coupler is pivoted the ldraw-bar takes the form of an I-beam with its flanges arranged horizontally. At its rear end it is enlarged vertically and cut away in the middle, so as to form a hollow frame, d3, for a pair of transverse channelbars, G and G', with their hollows facing each other. The ends of these bars rest in guides a, which are set in the opposite faces of the webs of the longitudinal door-beams A. The bars G and G' are not fastened either to the draw-bar or the guides, and are held as far apart as the frame and guides will allow by a pair-of coiled springs, g, one at each end of the A single spring in an intermediate position would serve the same purpose; but the pair arranged as I have described them arev more secure against lateral deflection.` These springs should be of the first quality, and capable'each of resisting a pressure of 'about from one hundred to two hundred pounds without compression, so that they mayyield readily to the resistance of the car to traction. There should ordinarily be a clear space of about three inches between the two bars-t'. e., between the edges of their ilanges-when they are farthest apart. Any movement ofthe draw-bar inward-such as would be caused by the backing of the trainl necessarily pushes the outer bar, G, toward the other non-metallic material, are arranged in suitable supports at the ends of the longitudinal beams A, to take the thrust of the buffer,

which is provided with laterally-projecting wings (1*, which come in contact with the cushions whenever the draw bar is thrust in. rlhese wings may be providedl with cushions additional to or instead of those at the ends of the beams. By this device I am enabled to do away with all slack and consequent uncertainty of operation in the draw-bar.

Behind the frame di, and on its inner end,

vthe draw-bar carries a clevis, d, in which is branch is connected by a bar, K', (for which stiff pipe may be substituted,) with the nearer end of the corresponding brake-bar. The lifting of the knee k of the toggle, drawing the ends of the arms', and consequently the brake-bars, toward each other, takes off the brakes. The depression of the knee, on the contrary, pushes each brake-bar away from the other and toward the correspondingwheels, and thus putting the brakes on. The mechanism by which the knee is elevated or depressed, and the connections of the toggle with the brake-bars, differ materially from anything shown in the application referred to.

On the middle of the lower side of one of the floor-joists A' is vertically pivoted ahanger, M, composed of two parallel bars joined at their upper and lower ends, respectively, by horizont-al pius'm and m', the former having bearings kin brackets which are fixed to the.

joist. The 'space between the two vertical bars of the hanger is just sufficient to admit of pivoting on the lower horizontal pin, m', a bar, N, which extends downward alittle way below its pivot, and upward so far that its upper end, when drawn forward, comes in contact with the upper horizontal pin, m. lIhe hanger M extends downward about one-third of the distance from the joist A' to the lowest position of the knee of the toggle. The bar 'N is bent, so that the part above its pivot m inclines slightly away from the outer end of .the truck, so that when the part below the pivot is upright the upper end may lock against the pin m on the side farthest from the coupling mechanism. A connecting bar or rod, N', is pivoted to the lower end of the bar N, and to the knee k of the toggle, and is long -enough to allow the knee to 'drop to a level with the ends ofthe arms when the lower end of the bar N is in its lowest position. A chain or wire rope, O', is attached to the bar N, near its upper end, and extends to the outer end of IOO IIO

the truck, where it is wound around the drum o of the hand-wheel O, the drum being provided with teeth, in which a pawl, O2, engages y in the usual manner, so as to prevent unwinding of the chain. i By winding up the chain on the drum o, so that the upper end of the bar N is drawn against the pin fm, the barN is provided with a iixed fulcrum virtually identical with thebearings of the pin m, so that its oscillation on this fulcrum either backward or forward will shorten the distance between the fulcrum and the knee It of the toggle, and will consequently lift .the latter and take off the brakes. This oscillation is elected by means of the rod J, which I have already described as pivoted at one end to the inner end of the draw-bar, and which is pivoted at the other on ihe lower horizontal pin, m', of the the hanger M, on which pin the bar N is also pivoted to the hanger. The length of the rod .J isequal to the distance between the pin m and the inner end of the draw-bar when the hanger M is perpendicular and the c"`hannelG and G', which pass transversely through the draw-bar, are held by the springs g in their position of greatest separation. In this position of the hanger, (provided the bar N is virtually identiiied with it by winding up the brake chain O', as already described,) the knee lc of the toggle will be in its lowest position, and the brakes will consequently be on, and the corresponding position of the drawy bar will be` secured by the elasticity of the springs so long as that elasticity is not overcome by any push or pull on the draw-bar sufficient to compress them. Any such push or pull causing the inner end of the draw-bar to move inward or outward will necessitate, by

- reason of the stiffness of the rod J, a correvbe operated by means of it.

sponding inward or outward movement of the pin m', and consequently of the lower end of the bar N and of the connecting-bar N, either movement necessarily raising the knee lo of the, toggle and taking oli` the brakes. Obviously, either the starting or backing of the train will thus of itself take off the' bra-kes, which will of themselves `be on at all other times.

By means of the pivoting of the bar N to the lower pin, m, of the hanger M, and its attachment to the brake-chain O', I make the operation of the draw-bar and its springsv upon the brake mechanism so dependent on the handwheel O that on adetached car the brakes may Thus they may be loosened by unwinding the chain andthere- 4by allowing the bar N to oscillate on the pin Von the whole not to connect the brake mechin the cross-'beams B of the truck.

ous wear of the tire.

anism of either truck with that of the other, this use of the hand-lever'will always be requisite for the rear truck of the rear car of abars and the outer ends, k2, of the branches of r the toggle are jointly hinged, the end k of each connecting-bar being divided, and the corresponding ends k2 of the toggle-branch being inserted in the groove thus formed. Each of these hangers consists of a horizontal bar, p,

rather longer than the greatest distance between the branches of the toggle, and of two vertical bars, p,rigidly attached to the horizontal bar and connected with each other ,by a web,p2. Each-ot' the bars p is pivoted at its -upper end, so as to oscillate lengthwise ofthe truck on a rigid horizontal bar, p3, parallel with the bar p, and rest in supports arranged The pivoting of the hanger on` the bar p3 is loose enough to allow of a slight play laterally suflicient to follow the varying positions of the truck in rounding curves, tte., but not enough to impair the correspondence of the brakes with the wheels.' The bars p3 of the two hangers are arranged a little distance in front and rear, respectively, of the knee of the toggle, so as to give in all positions of the toggle a nearly vertical support to it-and to the connectingbarsiK'. By this means both toggle and brakebars are kept level and firm. Brake-bars as ordinarily arranged are continually rocking IOO this bringing one end of the brake-shoe in contact with the tread of the wheel vwhen the brakes are not on, which contact, when the wheel is revolving rapidly, causes a mischiev- By attaching a pair of the connecting-bars K. rigidly to each brakebar the latter is kept steady and virtually level, inasmuch as the connecting.- bars a're` maintained virtually level at all times by the toggle-hangers l?, which, as has been stated, are hung in such a position as to be always nearly vertical, and in every position are kept steady by the operation of the draw-'bar on the toggle.

I nd cha-nnel or I-beam iron ttest for the brake-bars, which need great strength vertically, but when braced by the connecting-bars K not so much laterally.

Each brake-shoe Qis formed by T-iron, the rib or stem q of the T being on the side away from the wheel. The brake-head Q has a groovecorresponding to this rib in position and curvature, and fitting the rib easily enough to allow of a slight rocking motion of the shoe in its seat, so that it may adj ust itself exactly to the tread of the wheel. Each brake-shoe is suspended directly from the flooring of the car by a hanger, R,whose upper end, r, is formed iro into a loop, which is supported in a staple or clevis, It', so as to have free motion in every direction. At its lower end it takes the form of a clevis, r', whose height is about half that of the brake-shoe, and whose breadth is about the same as that of the face of the shoe. Its connecting-pin r2 passes through the rib q of the shoe, the sides ofthe groovein the brakehead being cut away so as to admit of this, and projects on either side beyond the sides of the clevis. An eyebolt, R2, fits on each of the projecting ends, and passes through the Vweb of the brake-barL, and is secured on the other side ofthe web by a nut, r. An enlargement on one end of the cleVis-pin 1"", and a nut, r4, on the other end, complete the fastening of the hanger to the bar and shoe. The hanger is bent slightly from a perpendicular, so that the clevis a" is-parallel, or nearly so, with the curvature of the brake-shoe. B y the construction which I have described I bring the support of the brake-shoe close to the wheel, and thus hold the face of the shoe parallel with the tread of the wheel. I thus avoid that uneven and biting action of the shoe on the wheel which is observedwhen the hangers are attached not to the shoes directly but to the brake-bars, a considerable distance back from the faces of the shoes. Vhen the face of the shoe becomes worn, a wedge can be inserted in the groove of the brake-head behind the rib q of the shoe, which will thus be forced forward into its proper position. This insertion can readily be made by loosening the eyebolts R2, which hold the brake-bar and brake-head against the shoe. rlhe brake-head Q iits on the brake-bar by means of a loop, q, formed at its back, and is held against lateral motion by an enlargement of -the lower end of each side of the clevis v", where the connecting-pin r2 passes through. Since the brake-head is without any direct fasteningito either shoe or brake-bar, their relative'positions can readily be adjusted as described. i

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A draw-bar, in combination with a brakebar, a system of levers connecting the draw-bar to the brake-bar, and springs arranged in the usual gap at the rear end ofthe drawbar, adapted and adjusted to maintain the said draw-bar in a normal position intermediate between the extremes of its range, and at the same time in this position to keep the brakes set up, and also adapted and adjusted to yield nearly the whole of their elastic range under a pull or 'thrust of traction due to the resistance of a single moving car, to thereby take off the brakes, substantially as described.

2. Ihe buffer provided with laterally-projecting wings, in combination with traction- Esprings, to keep slack between said wings and the end of the car, and auxiliary springs lilling part of the slack ,to meet excessive bufingshock as the traction-springs are compressed, and mechanism connecting the rear of the draw-bar with the brake.

3. The toggle K, arranged substantially as described, the hanger M, suspended above the knee of the toggle, so as to admit of oscillation lengthwise of the car, the bar N,vertieally pivoted at the lower end of theV hanger, eX- tending alittle way below the pivot, and hav ing the part above the pivot equal in length to the hanger and bent slightly toward the inner end of the truck, the chain O2,"connect ing the upper end of the barwith the handwheel, means for communicating' the motion of the draw-bar to the lower end of the hanger,

and means for communicating to the knee of 8o the toggle the upward and downward motion of the lower end of the bar, all in combina-tion,

substantially as and for the purpose described.

et. The brake-bar L, in combination with two stiff connecting-bars, K', to which the brake-bar is readily fastened, and which converge near the center of the truck, and are there attached to an independent and substantially level support, whereby the brake-bar is held from rocking and the brake-shoes prevented from rubbing the wheels, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

' 5. The two toggle-hangers I?, the toggle K, and the connecting-bars K', all constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose described.

EDVAR-D B. MEA'IYARD.

Witnesses:

TrroMAs H. PnAsn, RAsMUs DAY. 

